Making of sound synchronized motion pictures



Jan. 2, 1934.

M. FLEISCHER 1,941,980 MAKING oF SOUND SYNCHRONIZED MOTION PICTURES rIll|liiiilIll"llllllIllllllll"lIllillllllIllllllllJIIIIIIUIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllllll V42 l /43 1 i y y k l? BY 47 my@ www L A TTORNEYS.

25, tures,

Patented dan. 2 1934 PATENTy OFFICE MAKING OF SOUND SYNCHRONIZED v MOTION PICTURES Max Fleischer, Brooklyn, N. Y..

Application January ll', 1931e Serial No. 509,367

l Claim.

This invention relatesto the making of sound synchronized motion pictures and is particularly directed to an improved method of and appa-'- ratus for securing proper synchronization of sound and animated drawings, prior to the pho-A tographing of the drawings. Y

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a method of and apparatus for making a cue chart or guide of sound intended to be i@ recorded with motion pictures of animated drawings prior to the photographing of thedrawings, which indicates not only the beat or tempo of the music, but if desired, the actual duration oi each note of the music, (assuming music to be 1g the soundtr. berecorded) with relation to the action of the animated drawings'. y

.d further object of my invention is the provision of a dcvice'oi simple construction and op eration for carrying out my method of synclfnou 2o nization.

in my ccpending application Serial No. 503,366

died January l', 193i, since issued as Patent No.

`l,887,925, l have disclosed methods for securing the synchronization of sound with motion pieI particularly those ci animated drawings.

In those cases the methods are directed to what l call post synchronization, that is the animated drawings are first made, 'the sound is selected to accompany them,l and the problem of synchro gg nization is then to synchronize that sound with the previously made drawings.

On the other;l hand, my present method is primarily directed to the synchronization of the drawings with the previously selected sound so that the animator or artist or trick photographer making the drawings or manikins with the guide or chart which my methodprovides, may make his drawings or models tocorrespond with not only the tempo of the music but also with the 4 0 duration of each note thereof. Thus, if the chart or guide shows that a note is to be held for six frames, the animator makes his drawings of the action to conform thereto.

With my method 1 not only obtain more accurate synchronization but also eliminate the necessity and expense of first making a print on a film, then marking and projecting such print as is done at lpresent in the case of post synchronim zation.

in carrying out my improved method l preferably employ a device such as is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a device; -liig. 2 is a plan v ieW of the same; and Figs. 3', 4 and 5 are perspective views of a seo tion of tape after the same has passed through the device.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 1 riesignates -a standard or support provided with a table 2 having downwardly extendingA brackets or @o arms 3 and t. These arms are provided with shafts 5 and 6 respectively for carrying spools 'i' and S respectively. Supported on table 2 is a driving shaft 9 which may be hand operated or driven from any suitable source such as a motor (not shown).

A driven shaft 10 is mounted on an ann 13 pivoted to the table 2 at la. The shafts 9 and 10 each carry marking rollers 15 and 16, respectively, the roller 15 being provided with a plurality 70 l of spaced. transverse grooves 17 and the roller 16 being provided with a corresponding number of transverse tongues lt adapted to register with the grooves ll of the roller 16. This tongue and groove arrangement is for the purposeof providing depressions or corrugations in the tape A19 which correspond to picture frames of a lm as' will be hereinafter described. The shaft 9 also carries a gear 20 which is in mesh with a gear 21 on the shaft 10 for driving the shaft lil and the 80 roller 16 carried thereby.

In order that' the depressions or corrugations made in the tape' 19 by the rollers 15 and 16 will not be destroyed by stretching the tape after the same has rolled up on a spool 8, I provide a frictional drive for the shaft 6 in the form of a spring belt 22 carried by pulleys 23 and 24. on the shafts 9 and 6', respectively.

The arm. i3 which carries the shaft 10 also carries a tension member 26 for maintaining'the 90 I proper tension on the tape as it is drawn from the spool '7. The arm 1E as above mentioned is pivoted to the table at ld whereby the roller and tension member carried by said arm may be moved out of position upon raising the arm when thread- 95 ing the tape i9 through the device. The arm l3 s normally held in operating position by means of springs 28.

In order to know how many frames have passed between the rollers l5 and 16 at any given point 100 I provide a counter or meter 29 which may be operated from the shaft 9 through gears 30 and 31. This counter or meter is geared so as to register the number of depressions melde in the tape after the same passes between the roliers and will also serve to indicate to the artist4 the number of frames to assign to each beat or note, as will be hereinafter explained.

A spring arm 32 is mounted adjacent to the other side of the table 2, the free endpf which arm is provided with a thumb piece 33 having a crayon 34 removably secured 'thereto by means of a thumb screw 36.

A guide roller 37 mounted for rotation on a shaft 33 adjacent the spool 7 over which the tape 19 passes from the spool 2. On the other end of the table adjacent the spool 8 a similar guide roller 39 is mounted for rotation on shaft 40 and a cooperating guide roller ll is mounted on a shaft 42 in forks 4.3 above the roller 39. This roller il is removably held in position by means of spring d4 whereby the same may be removed or raised to permit the threading of the tape between the rollers 39 and 4l and onto the receiving spool 8.

In operating the machine to carry out improved method I first place a spool of tape preferably what is known as ticker tape on the shaft 5. The arm 13 carrying the roller 16 and tension member 26, is then raised and the end of the tape 19 is threaded'over guide roller 37 under tension member 26, and between the rollers l5 and 16 after which the arm 13 can be returned to normal or operating position. Guide roller gli is then raised and the tape threaded between this roller and guide roller 39 onto the spool 8.

The device having been thus prepared is then set in operation by driving the shaft 9 which rotates the shaft 6, carrying spool 8, through pulley 24, spring belt 22 and pulley 23. 'When the .spool 8 is being driven it will be obvious that the tape will be drawn from the spool 'I between rollers 15 Aand 16, which are also driven as above mentioned, and the tongue and groove formation on these rollers will form depressions or corruga tions in the tape corresponding to frames on a picture lm as it passes between the-rollers.

The normal speed of a motion picture film is approximately feet per minute. However, in order to economize and simplify the method of marking .l preferably employ a tape 1/3 the noru mal length of a nlm and run the same at 30 feet per minute. I also space the tongue and groove formations on the rollers l5 and 16 at 1/3 normal distance of the frame lines on a standard motion picture iilrn so that :for a nlm running at 90 feet per minute and having lello espesores the tape which I employ running at 30 feet per ininute will likewise have frames representing .lello exposures.

It will be understood that "l do not Wish to be limited to the speed of 3i) feet per minute as it is obvious that any reduction ci the speed may be employed so long as the tongue and groove rormations on the rollers l5 and lo are correspondingly reduced and the proper ratio is maintained.

According to my method the operator will listen to the music being played and as the tape is traveling he will pressthe thumb piece 22 against the tape intermittently in accordance with the tempo of the music. This will result in a series of uniform longitudinal lines 45 (Fig. 3) made by the crayon and corresponding to the beats or tempo of the music. When the tempo of the music is uniform these lines i5 on the tape will likewise be of a uniform length and spaced uni formly, however, in the event of a change in the tempo, a retard, for instance, the operator will press the crayon against the tape less frequently and will hold it longer than before, resulting in lines 46 on the tape which are longer, that is, extend for a greater number of frames than in the case of a faster tempo. On the other hand. should the tempo be accelerated the lines on the nearest tape will be shorter and closer together, as will be obvious.

As above mentioned my method may be employed to indicate the duration of a note as well as the tempo or any sound. in employing my device to indicate the duration of notes the open ator will proceed as before but instead o1" marking the tempo on the tape as above described he will hold the crayon against the tape to indicate the length of the notes being sung, played or spoken. Assuming for the purpose of explanation that a long note is being sung or played and this note is prolonged for six frames, the operator will hold the crayon against the tape ior the duration of the note which will be sin frames, resulting in a line 47 on the tape shown in Fig. e and assurn'- ing this note to be followed by a comparatively short note, say two frames, the operator will hold the crayon against the tape for two frames, producing a short line 48.

The tape bearing these markings will serve as a guide to the artist, trick photographer, or animator in making the drawings whereby he will be enabled to properly synchronize the action of the pictures with the music. In making the drawings the artist, after the tape has been rerolled, will place the same back in the device so that the irst frame will register with number one on 'the meter, he will then operate the device (preferably by hand so that he may stop the same at will), and as the tape is traveling he will examine the markings and will note the number of ira-nies recuired for each beat or note, as the case may be, by referring to the meter and will synchronize the drawings accordingly. 1in other words. as suming the line 47 (Fig. fi) begins at number one on the meter and ends at number six this marl: indicating a note being sung or played, the artist or animator will know that this note is to be held for six frames and will maire his drawings ac cordingly, that is, he will prolong the action corresponding to this note for sin frames. Likewise with line 48, the artist will see by the meter that the action corresponding to this note is to be prolonged for two frames. vided with beat marks l5 and d6 the artist will be enabled to time the action accordingly, that is, so long as the lines remain uniform and evenly spaced he will know that the tempo is uniform and when the lines are longer he will know that the tempo has been retarded and when shorter accelerated. He will also know when the changes in tempo occur as well as the character, degree and duration of the changed tempo.

l desired an inlring roller Li9 may be mounted adjacent and in contact with the roller 16 whereby the tongues i8 may be inked in order to maire the impressions of the frame lines on the more legible.

It may be desired, instead of providing straight lines on the tape as above described, to provide a zigzag line 5i) as shown in Fig. 5. lin this case the operator, instead of pressing the crayon against the tape intermittently, will hold the crayon against the tape and' move the thumb piece 33 about its pivot 51 from side to side in accordance with the sound with which the action to be synchronized.

While I have described the synchronization of pictures with music it is to be understood that the word music is to be applied to any sound to which pictures are to be synchronized.

It is also to be understood that the device illustrated and described herein is merely illustrative and various modifications may be made in this When the tape is prolio structure or other devices may be employed in carrying out my improved method without de-1 parting from the spirit endscope of mv inven= tion. It is also to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to n paper strip inasmuch as a tape of any suitable material may be employed.

What I claim is:

The method of making motion pictures to accompany predetermined sound, comprising the steps of applying transverse frame markings and longitudinal tempo markings intersecting said 

